Stephen Ye is in the Class of 2026 at Miller Place High School. He has played chess since he was 7 and is a USCF expert, reaching the top 10 in his age group in the USCF national rankings. Stephen has also won many scholastic tournaments, notably the NJ primary chess championship, and more recently captained his team to win the 1st prize of the U1800 section of the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships. Apart from competing, Stephen loves to share his passion for the game in various local ways; he taught at the Comsewogue public library, coached at the LI Chess Mates, and is a proactive member of his school chess club. Aside from chess, Stephen is an officer in both his school’s science Olympiad and math teams; he has made 5x MathCON national finals and has won a bronze medal and multiple honorable mentions. Additionally, Stephen is an avid violinist; he is a former concertmaster in MYO and studies at the Manhattan School of Music with Christina Khimm Rosand. By creating and teaching at this club, Stephen wishes to share his passion for the game and promote the lifelong benefits that chess provides with his community.

Lucy Chang is in the Class of 2025 attending Miller Place High School. She is a member of her school’s chess club, having studied chess at the Port Jefferson Free Library as well as Go at the Stony Brook Center for Chinese Learning. Her interest in chess and go comes from her father, who is a skilled Chinese chess and go player (Tsinghua University Physics Department Chinese Chess Champion) and has taught Chinese chess alongside her brother at the SBCCL. Aside from chess, she is dedicated to leadership, having been class President of her school for 4 years running as well as co-President of her school’s Science Olympiad team. In addition, she plays viola in both the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra as well as Manhattan School of Music, where she sat assistant principal in the Symphony Orchestra and now studies with Karen Ritscher. She is already a member of the LIYD Music Club and would love to help further LIYD’s mission initiating and helping to lead this club, hoping to inspire young chess players to further explore the game’s different forms and their intricate workings.